


How to Halloween

by disneydork



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Elsamaren Summer 2020 (Disney), F/F, Halloween, Hex Girls - Freeform, Movie: Frozen (2013), Movie: Frozen 2 (2019), elsamaren
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25245949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disneydork/pseuds/disneydork
Summary: The one where the author misreads the Air, Fire, Water, Earth, Love.... Wait, What? prompt as Earth, Wind, Fire, Air.... Wait, What?.
Relationships: Elsa/Honeymaren (Disney)
Comments: 14
Kudos: 30
Collections: Elsamaren Summer 2020





	How to Halloween

**Author's Note:**

> i'd like to think the summary and title implying Halloween says it all but it probably doesn't so enjoy this prompt that's only slightly off the mark but that i couldn't resist anyway! Hope you guys enjoy the slight detour!

Maren sprawled her costume out across her bed. Black dress, hoop earrings, short red wing, purple gloves, and black boots by the bedside…. Everything seemed to be in order. The brunette placed her hands on her hips and smiled proudly. No, her costume wasn’t exactly extravagant. Actually none of their costumes were this year. It was meant to be something simple yet just enough to invoke the character.

Halloween had always been one of Maren’s favorite times of year. The leaves were still changing in the midst of autumn, it was warm enough so it wasn’t snowing but not humid enough to need to constantly put her hair up, and Hocus Pocus was constantly playing on Freeform. But since she and her brother met Kristoff, were introduced to Anna and Elsa, and Maren actually started dating Elsa, Halloween became even better. For the past two years the group had created a tradition. At summer’s end they would brainstorm ideas for a group Halloween costume, whether it be based off a show, movie, story, or some general theme; spend the next couple of months intricately putting the idea together; and then, on the actual holiday, they’d get together at Elsa’s. They’d celebrate Olaf’s - Anna and Elsa’s kid brother’s - birthday, go trick-or-treating, order in pizza over Hocus Pocus, and celebrate some more.

The first year had been a challenge. Before Maren and Ryder joined the already existing family, the Aren-Bjorgman’s already had their own way of doing things. They had actually put some suggestions in a hat, would each choose one, narrow it down from there, and then argue over who got to be which character. It sounded like such a long and grueling process. So needless to say, Maren and Ryder throwing suggestion after suggestion out was a bit for the family to get used to. They had finally come to an agreement in which every person would choose a theme and Olaf, as the birthday boy, would have the deciding vote. A debate between Power Rangers and Pokémon had ensued that first year, courtesy of Ryder. The second year they had gotten into more of a groove; everyone suggested a general idea, Olaf would choose one, and from there suggestions bounced off the walls. The fairy tale theme had gone over quite well.

Now, in year three, things were falling perfectly into place. Olaf’s new obsession had become Scooby-Doo, and it was an idea everyone could get behind. It had only been a matter of who would play which character. Olaf would be Scooby, naturally. There was some playful debate over whether Ryder or Kristoff would portray Shaggy. After a number of board games that deemed Ryder the victor, Olaf was displeased and made the executive decision that Kristoff would dress as Shaggy. Once again, another debate had ensued. That only left the girls. Maren graciously offered to play the ‘monster’ but that time Anna decided that wasn’t going to happen. It was her idea for the trio to portray the Hex Girls.

Of course Maren questioned how much of that was to make their lives easier and how much of it was to tease Elsa for her first crush being on Thorn.

With her costume set and Anna and Kristoff about to arrive any minute, Maren took the opportunity to check on her brother. She exited her room and walked across the hall to the closed door, decorated with countless Pokémon stickers. Her brother was such a nerd.

“Ry, how you feeling?” she knocked. “They’re gonna be here soon.”

_“ACHOOOOOO!”_

Dammit him and his loud sneezes.

Maren rolled her eyes and opened the door. Ryder was sitting curled up in his bed, tissues upon tissues scattered across the blanket. He had a box in one hand and a fresh tissue - scratch that, a snotty tissue - in his other, He blew into it loudly and sniffed before dropping it to the side and looking up at his sister with crusty eyes and a huge red nose.

“Hey Baren.”

Oh, he had it bad.

Maren hit her head. “You’re still not over this Ryder?”

“I’b sorry,” he apologized. “I dought I’d be bedder by dow.”

“Ok there is no way in hell you’re coming with us today. You sound more like you’re supposed to be a Rugrat than a meddling kid,” she insisted.

“Hey I’b dot a kid!” he argued.

“It’s the expression, dumbass,” she rolled her eyes. “Ugh. Here, let me feel your forehead.” She reluctantly stepped closer and willed her hand to rest against his forehead. She scrunched her nose and quickly pulled her hand back. “You’re a bit warm there, bro. You’re staying in today.”

“Whaaa?” Dooooooooh!” he whined.

Maren deadpanned him.

“I...I bean…. I’b totally fine.”

She shook her head. Ryder had a horrible tendency to whine excessively when he was sick. As tempting as it was for Maren to reconsider, she had to keep her foot down. There was no way in hell he was going to leave the apartment in his current condition, let alone be around Olaf. “You’re skipping Halloween. That’s final.”

“Baren!” he screamed before letting out another sneeze.

His sister jumped back, hoping she was avoiding any of his germs. “Hey, someone’s gotta be the responsible one here! And it’s obviously not you.”

“But it’s Halloweed! You can’t bake be! What about de candy? And de bovie? And Olaf?” he complained.

It was a good thing Maren spoke Stuffed Ryder.

“Olaf will understand. And so will everyone else.” If Maren sounded harsh at all it was only because she cared about him. As fun as it was to drive Ryder crazy, she really didn’t want him to miss out on the festivities. She wished there was another way around it. “Look, I’ll talk to everyone ok? Maybe we can have a post-Halloween party when you’re feeling better. But just stay in here ok? I’ll leave some soup in the fridge for you to heat up. And wash your damn hands before you touch anything.”

She closed the door and headed to the bathroom, heeding her own advice. Even though Maren was sure she was going to catch Ryder’s cold sooner or later, today was not the day to take any chances.

“We’re heeeeeere!”

Maren could hear Anna’s singsong voice echo through the apartment. After drying her hands, Maren exited the bathroom and went to the living room to greet them. Kristoff was in costume already, only because a green shirt and red pants were so simple. Anna, on the other hand, had a couple of bags of goodies. Likely one of them was her costume and the other was filled with gifts for Olaf. She spoiled her brother so damn much.

“Hey guys,” Maren greeted. “I just need ten minutes to get my shit together and make some soup for Ryder.”

“Oh no!” Anna gasped. “He’s still sick?”

“He sounds even worse today,” Maren sighed. She crossed the living room and entered the kitchen, which was directly attached. She skimmed through the cabinets, looking for just the right can of chicken noodle soup. Ryder just _had_ to insist on having the noodles with the fun shapes. He claimed the ‘adult’ soups didn’t taste quite the same.

Maren gave him flack for it but secretly agreed that there was something so satisfying about eating pasta in fun shapes.

Though she questioned his taste in the Cars franchise.

“So I guess this means we’re going Fred-less today, huh?” Kristoff assumed.

“You know Ryder. When he gets sick, he stays sick,” Maren sighed. “He’s such a baby.”

“That’s ok,” Anna shrugged. She skipped over with a smile on her face, not hesitating to look on the bright side. “We’ll just make sure to buy a few extra bags of Halloween candy when they start going on sale tomorrow. And when he’s feeling better we’ll have a post-Halloween party. Maybe we’ll just watch some Scooby-Doo movies instead of Hocus Pocus. We’ll make a marathon out of it.”

“I’m sure Ryder will love that,” Maren nodded as she opened the can of coup.

“Fine, but I’m keeping dibs on Shaggy,” Krsitoff decided. “I don’t mind letting Ryder also dress up as him but you know how picky Olaf is.”

“Awww, you’re just afraid you’ll stop being his favorite,” Anna teased playfully. She walked over to Kristoff, leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “That’s ok, honey. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.” She blinked and snapped her fingers. “Oh! I should text Elsa and let her know we’re running a little late.”

“I can do that while the soup’s heating,” Maren said.

“I don’t think so. I know exactly what’s gonna happen. You’ll send her one text, then she’ll text back, then you’ll text back, and she’ll text back, you’ll say something funny, shell say LOL and you’ll keep texting and flirting, and pretty soon we’re gonna be there two hours later,” Anna replied.

Maren’s eyes widened. “I...we...that is...that doesn’t….”

Anna giggled. “You’re totally blushing!”

“Anna!” she gasped.

“All right, I’ll be the middleman and text her,” Kristoff conceded. He chuckled playfully, “What would you guys do without me?”

“Well it’d be a lot harder to please myself,” Anna mumbled.

Maren shook her head. “Get a room, you two.” She poured the soup into a pot and placed it over the stove. She gave it a quick stir and let it begin to heat up before she took out everything Ryder would need. She knew exactly how her brother operated. He’d be too lazy to search for everything himself so if Maren didn’t set everything out perfectly as needed Ryder was screwed. Bowl...spoon...medicine...m&m’s - only because he really was such a baby and needed something sweet after drinking such a vile liquid. Maren rubbed her chin, trying to think of what was missing.

The instrumentals of Queen’s Somebody to Love suddenly filled the room. Maren couldn’t help but laugh every time. It was just so Kristoff to have that as his ringtone even though he swore up and down he was going to change it one day.

“You can stop laughing,” the blond rolled his eyes. “It’s Elsa.”

“Oh,” Anna blinked. “I wonder why she’s calling. Didn’t you just text her?”

“Yeah,” he nodded. “I’ll put her on speaker.” He clicked the answer option and then just as quickly the speaker one. “Hey Els, what’s up? I got you on speaker now.”

Elsa’s light yet typically higher pitched voice came out much more disappointing than usual. “We’re going to have to cancel Halloween.”

“WHAT??” Anna exclaimed. “No! Why??”

“It’s Olaf. He’s not feeling well,” she replied.

Maren rushed over to join the conversation. “Oh no, did he catch what Ryder has?”

“I think so,” she sighed. “It’s more of a dry cough than a stuffy nose but he does have a fever. I don’t think he should be around everyone today.”

“But it’s his birthday,” Anna pouted. “We promised we’d spend every birthday with him no matter what.”

“I know,” Elsa replied. “But I think it’s best if we have it on pause just for this year. We shouldn’t risk anyone else getting sick.”

“I’m so sorry, Elsa,” Maren apologized. “I shouldn’t’ve let you guys in when I asked for that ride…”

“It’s alright, Maren,” Elsa promised. “Something was obviously going around; he was bound to catch it sooner or later.”

“Do you need us to bring anything over?” Kristoff offered. “I can run to the store and pick up some soup or Advil or something.”

“Some Advil would be great. Bubblegum, if they have it?” Elsa asked.

“I know the one,” he nodded. “And those lollipops for the sore throat?”

“Please and thank you,” she nodded.

“I’m on it,” Kristoff agreed.

“Are you sure you don’t want us to stop by? Even for a half hour?” Anna asked.

“Anna, I know we made a promise to Olaf and we have a tradition. But we need to look at the bigger picture this year,” Elsa told her, ever the logical sister. “If Olaf has it now then it’s only a matter of time before I catch it. And if I have to go out of commission then he goes to you. You have to stay healthy in case that happens. So that means you stay out of the house.”

The redhead folded her arms and pouted. “No fair.”

“Is there anything I can do?” Maren asked. It didn’t matter how long they’d been together or even how long they knew each other for. Elsa was just too stubborn for her own good. The woman would go above and beyond to make sure she was in no way possible a bother to anyone, and that included Maren. But the reality was, Elsa could never be such a thing. Even if she had a routine and knew exactly what to expect with Anna and Kristoff, Maren wanted Elsa to know that she could rely on her as well.

“I appreciate that Maren, but you need to focus on Ryder. Make sure he shakes this thing, too,” Elsa answered. “I promise I’ll make it up to you once this all blows over.”

“Hehehehe sure you will,” Anna teased.

“ANNA!” Elsa gasped, likely with a tomato face.

Kristoff shook his head. Once again he took charge of being the middleman with no problem. “I’ll head out and grab what Olaf needs. Give me a half hour tops, I’ll leave the bag by the front door.” He quickly held up a finger. “And before you say anything, no you don’t owe me anything.”

“Not even a Blizzard from Dairy Queen?” Elsa tempted him.

Kristoff blinked. He gulped, so obviously trying to keep his composure. He looked like he was in some poor battle between caving in and wanting to argue. Except it wasn’t in Kristoff’s nature to be confrontational. So what did he do but take the easy way out.

“I...ssssst…. Can’t…sssst…hear you…. Sssssst.... Bad conn…. Sssst...ition. Gottagobye!”

While Anna puffed her cheeks out, trying desperately to hold back her laughter, Maren wasted no time and just started going into a fit.

“Don’t patronize me,” he stated simply. Shaking his head in mock disappointment, he turned and left the apartment. Once the door closed, Maren shook her head and forced herself to check on the soup. There was no sense in dwelling on something completely out of their control.

Of course a certain redhead had other ideas.

“Ok! So what are we gonna do?” Anna asked almost right away.

Maren stirred the soup and twisted her lips, briefly going into deep thought. “Well, we could actually listen to Elsa for once.”

There was a pause. The two of them looked up and met each other's gaze before bursting into another chorus of laughter.

Like listening to Elsa was even an option. The woman wouldn’t agree to help if it was offered to her on a silver platter. Knowing her, the only reason she even agreed to let Kristoff buy medicine was for Olaf’s sake. 

It wasn’t that Maren meant to tease Elsa. Not purposefully, anyway. But she had so much on her plate. She had a time-consuming job, she maintained a house, she was head of one of her company’s charities, she was raising her brother...hell it was amazing she even agreed to date Maren! Elsa hardly ever had any time on her plate. And she always sounded so regretful when she had to cancel a date night. But it was never a big deal to Maren. She understood Elsa had so many other obligations. She just wanted to be a part of them somehow. If for once, just once, Elsa would swallow her pride and ask Maren for anything, regardless of what it was Maren would drop what she was doing and make it happen in a heartbeat. If only Elsa could see that.

“Well we have, what? A half hour till Kristoff gets back? So whatever we do we gotta plan it quick before he tries to talk us out of it,” Maren said.

Anna rubbed her chin. “You’re right. We have to be quick and decisive. Like ninjas. We have to make a decision, come up with a plan, and make it happen ASAP. So what are our options?”

“Well Elsa’s obviously not gonna let us in the house,” Maren said.

“So we do something outside.”

“But she’s not gonna leave the house.”

“So we do it in the backyard.”

“What do we do in the backyard?”

“We can decorate it.”

“Isn’t it already decorated?”

“I have some spare props.”

“So we sneak in the backyard...then what?”

“We...we can...do a thing.”

“Ok...sure. But what thing?”

“Th.... The thing where…”

“Go on.”

“ARG!!!”

Anna threw her hands up in frustration and Maren tilted her head back. This wasn’t getting them very far. The brunette groaned and removed the soup from the stove. She flapped her hand above it, allowing the hot air to fan out before she could pour it into a container.

“Maybe we can bring the trick-or-treating to them?” she thought aloud.

Anna sighed. “No, Elsa would never allow that. She’d say we’re doing ‘too much work’.”

“Heh,” Maren scoffed lightly. “That’s classic coming from the woman who does nothing but too much work.”

“I know. Elsa’s really gotta let loose one of these days,” Anna placed a hand on her hip. “You know, she’s never even been to a concert. I mean, seriously! What grown person never even went to a concert? Well, I guess except the really grouchy ones who absolutely hate music and are just cold, heartless souls who don’t believe in the power of music and just think the world should be some dull, monotone place. Or like, they probably just want everyone to go around talking like Shakespeare or Abe Lincoln.”

As Anna was going about her monologue, going so far as to attempting - and failing - to mimic the historical figures, Maren’s brows furrowed. Elsa had never been to a concert…? That was pretty rich, considering they were dressing up as a girl group for Halloween. Not to mention she loved Scooby-Doo when she was younger, to the point where she was actually crushing on a fictional character. Wait a minute….

Maren’s eyes widened. “Anna, that's genius!”

The redhead blinked. “Wait, what?”

“How fast can you put a concert together?” Maren asked.

Anna held up her hands. “Whoa, whoa, whoa! I can plan an event fine, but I’m nowhere near Elsa level. She’s the expert, remember?”

“We just need to get something together quickly and without Elsa or Olaf noticing,” Maren said. “Come on, Anna. We have the costumes. We have the music. We have...fake...instruments. We have decorations. We just need to set up a part of the backyard that actually looks like they’re at a concert.”

“I’m all for this, Maren, I really am,” Anna said, “but don’t you think you’re going a bit extreme? It sounds like you have this big, grand idea and.... I just don’t know if we have the time to pull it off. How are we even supposed to make this happen without Elsa noticing in her own backyard?”

Maren sighed. “I know it’s a lot. And I’m probably overshooting big time. But…” She stepped around so she was standing in front of her friend. “You know better than anyone how much Elsa does. She has all these obligations, she does all these things, somehow makes time for everyone in her life except herself…. This isn’t just for Olaf’s birthday, Anna. And I know how much you wanna be there for him and do something for him. But Elsa deserves something, too. I just wanna be able to do something for her for once. Isn’t the saying, go big or go home?”

Anna smiled softly. She took her friend’s hands in hers and shook her head. “Maren, believe me when I say you absolutely don’t have to do any big, grand gestures for Elsa. I mean yeah, she’d notice and appreciate those huge things. But those aren’t the ones that matter to her. It’s the little things that you do. You don’t need to do something extravagant to show how much you care. She’d love it even if you just left a giant bag of m&m’s at her doorstep with a note for her.”

Maren smirked. “Oh, not even a regular sized bag? It has to be a giant one?”

“Well you did say go big or go home,” Anna giggled. She quickly shook her head. “My point is; Elsa is great at preparing big, grand gestures. But she doesn’t want or need them for herself. And you’re gonna get way farther with her doing that than some overzealous backyard Halloween concert.”

Maren tugged her lips to the side. Deep down she knew Anna was right. Just because Elsa worked for a large, respectable company and happened to plan these huge scale events for bigwigs and well known’s on top of being one of the town’s biggest philanthropists didn’t mean she needed anything over the top for herself. Not once had Elsa ever implied to Maren they needed to go somewhere fancy to eat. Or have their night planned out completely. Or that they had to look nice or put on some kind of front for anyone that may have been watching them. That lifestyle, that front she put on for her job...that wasn’t actually Elsa. She always seemed most at ease when it was just them. Whether it was ordering in food, cuddling on the couch, watching a movie or playing a game with Olaf, or simply walking hand in hand in the park. That was when Elsa was really in her element, when she was most at peace. Maren absolutely didn’t need to do anything extreme to impress Elsa. Still, she couldn’t help but want to. Even just once.

“Buuuuuuuut…”

Maren picked her head up and she saw Anna’s cheeky smile grow. The redhead dragged out her response slowly, sounding sneakier with each passing note. Maren couldn’t help but smirk slightly in return. Whatever Anna was planning, she knew it was going to be pretty damn amazing.

“Who says we can’t do some overzealous backyard Halloween concert for _Olaf_!”

\---

Elsa sighed as she hung up her phone. She leaned her head back against the couch, allowing her bangs to fly back. It wasn’t easy to tell everyone Halloween was canceled this year. And she knew it was going to be even rougher to break the news to Olaf. No one liked to be sick on their birthday. But with Olaf? It wasn’t just one punch to the gut; it was three.

His birthday was the first punch, for obvious reasons. Halloween was the second punch. It meant no dressing up in the costume he was so excited to wear. It meant no trick-or-treating and getting free candy. It meant not seeing his family and showing off his costume, trying so hard to act like the character. It meant no pizza for dinner.

Pizza and sick Olaf did not mesh well.

But the real punch probably hurt Elsa more than it hurt Olaf. It just plain meant no family.

When Elsa and Anna’s parents passed, Elsa received full custody of Olaf. It wasn’t for any particular reason other than Elsa happened to be older. By all accounts, Anna should absolutely have been the one to take in Olaf. She was married. Sure, both she and Elsa had enough space for Olaf; but Anna could provide him with something Elsa couldn’t. An actual family. With Anna, Olaf would have Kristoff. The couple was looking into adopting a puppy soon, and one day have kids of their own. Between the two of them, they could easily divide their time between work and Olaf. One could cover the other. Elsa couldn’t do any of that. When she had to spend extra time in the office or at an event, she had to call Anna to watch Olaf. It wasn’t fair to keep involving her sister when Anna was clearly the better choice from the start. But Elsa never had it in her to go against her parents’ wishes. If this was what their parents thought best, who was she to argue? Elsa adored her baby brother; she’d do absolutely anything for him. She just hated the constant questioning if it was the right choice. If her reaction was ever the right one. If anything she ever said or did was more for her own benefit than his.

They all made a promise to Olaf. No matter what, every year on his birthday the whole family would get together. Even if Olaf was still too young to fully comprehend that he only had his sisters, that his parents were never coming back, he didn’t need to potentially think about it on his birthday. He just needed his family. He needed to be happy. But now this year? Elsa was taking that away from him.

She silently thanked whatever higher power sent Kristoff to them. Not only was he such a good match for Anna, but he was also an incredible role model for Olaf. The child adored Kristoff. He was his best friend. Not once had Kristoff complained about needing to do anything for Olaf’s sake nor did he ever put Anna down for dropping what she was doing for the sake of their brother. Kristoff went above and beyond to be involved. Even today, it was the little thing of offering to pick up medicine. As happy as Elsa knew Anna was with Kristoff in her life, the blonde could not admit that she was also happy to call the man her brother. He had truly been a godsend.

And, if it weren’t for Kristoff, she would have never met Maren.

Elsa tried so hard not to involve Maren. She tried to keep her distance from Maren. She tried not to fall for Maren. But on all accounts, she failed spectacularly. When Elsa canceled their plans, whether Maren would end up showing up at her doorstep with chocolate or not, she would at least be texting Elsa. She’d be asking how it was going, if she needed anything, or send her links to adorable cat videos. When Elsa tried to avoid Maren, the woman always found her way to her regardless. Elsa would take Olaf to the park and Maren would be there. She’d run to the grocery store to pick up food and Maren would be there, claiming she also needed food. 

Oh of course Maren needed to eat eventually. But what were the odds she needed food on the same day at the same time as Elsa?

How could Elsa _not_ fall for that woman when every single time Maren tried? When she wanted to try? Some days Elsa couldn’t help but daydream a world where she didn’t have to work as much. Where she could make just a little extra time for Maren. Where Maren could actually move in and they wouldn’t have to constantly juggle their schedules. Where she could actually see Maren every day, no matter for how long or short. Where she could give Olaf more stability with the two of them together than Elsa ever could alone. Where they could….

“Eh..Eh.... Ehsa!”

Elsa’s head shot up. She could hear her brother call for her in the midst of another coughing fit. So much for putting him down for a nap.

“I’m coming, love.”

She rose from the couch and ran to the back room, once a study that had since been converted to Olaf’s bedroom after their parents’ passing. Despite Elsa’s successful career she didn’t need a large two-story house with multiple rooms, two bathrooms, or even a driveway. The small, one-level was plenty for her and her brother.

Tucking a few strands behind her ear, she entered the child’s bedroom and watched him cough his poor little face off in bed. “How are you feeling, hun?”

“Ti-hi-ired,” he coughed sadly.

Elsa sat on the edge of his bed and gently pressed the back of her hand to his forehead. He was still warm. “Kristoff will be here soon with some medicine for you. Let me get you some water.”

“Juice,” he pouted.

How could she say no to those big green eyes?

“Alright. Juice it is,” she conceded. Elsa pushed herself off the bed and looped back to the front of the house and into the kitchen. She removed a juice box from the fridge and stuck the straw inside. She also grabbed a pack of crackers, if only so the boy could have something in his system. Once she returned, she handed him the juice box and then sat the crackers on his nightstand over a napkin. “In case you get hungry.”

Olaf slurped his drink, albeit slowly. It seemed like he was deep in thought.

Finally, he looked up at his sister with sad eyes. “Trick-or-treat?”

Elsa’s face fell. This was the part she dreaded. “That...is not happening today,” she confessed after a pause.

His lip quivered. “But I wa-ah-ha-anna go.”

She gently ran her fingers through his dark hair similar in style to Elsa’s, pushing his messy bangs away from his face. “I know, love. We were all looking forward to it this year. But right now you need your rest. We will all celebrate together when you’re feeling better.”

“Can I sti-hill wear Scooby-y?” he coughed.

Elsa gently guided the straw back to his lips, falsely hoping that the liquid would soothe his throat in the slightest.

It would be so much easier if Olaf liked tea.

“After you get some rest. Then I’ll help you put on your costume,” she agreed. It was the least she could do for him.

He removed his lips from the straw. “You, too?”

“Me, too,” she nodded. “Lay down, little guy, and after you take your medicine try to get some sleep.”

Olaf obeyed and leaned back on his pillow, only sitting up to continue drinking his juice. Elsa could see the rebellion in his eyes. If he weren’t feeling as tired as he was, the boy surely would have argued and insisted he didn’t need sleep. Being sick certainly took so much life out of the boy. Elsa hated seeing her brother so out of his element and she felt even worse knowing there was little she could do.

Unfortunately this was one battle she couldn’t fight for him. The cold would simply have to run its course.

Elsa returned to the living room and, not too long after, a knock on the door indicated that Kristoff had dropped off the medicine. The rest of the day lingered slowly. Olaf managed to fall asleep for a couple of hours, leaving Elsa to tend to a few work emails. She glanced at her phone occasionally, surprised not to see a text from Anna or Maren. She was unsure whom she was more surprised at for the silence. Not once since meeting Maren had the woman gone without texting Elsa something when plans were canceled. But by the same token, Anna always made time to check on Olaf. What a fine time for Anna to actually listen to Elsa and keep her space.

That is, unless Anna was planning something.

Oh shit, Anna was totally planning something.

The blonde flew her head back again. What could it possibly be this time? Surprise dinner? Mountain of plushies? Surprise FaceTime at dinner? Movie marathon?

Pursing her lips, Elsa picked up her phone and texted her troublemaking sister.

_You’d better not be up to something._

Anna’s only response was an angel emoji.

Figured.

Once Olaf awoke Elsa managed to coax him to eat a few of the crackers before taking some cough medicine. It appeared his fever went down, which was a good sign. Unfortunately, the cough was naturally going to be the last thing to go. The poor boy would be up hacking all night. Luckily his spirits seemed to be lifted when Elsa took out his Scooby-Doo costume. For a brief moment it appeared Olaf’s eyes lit up as though nothing were wrong at all. He then encouraged Elsa to change into her costume as well. Deciding to please her brother, Elsa retreated to her room and removed her costume from the closet. A long black dress with hints of red, a pair of low black heels, and a bat necklace. Of course then there was also the black wig. Elsa personally believed she didn’t look good in that much black, let alone with any hints of red. She didn’t dare look in the mirror and see how different she looked, let alone how the shades completely contrasted her natural paleness. Even if it was Elsa’s one chance to dress up as one of her childhood dream girls.

Though she would never tell that Anna to her face, she was certain her sister was already well aware.

She returned to Olaf’s room as she finished tucking her hair under the wig. “What do you think?”

Even Olaf’s coughing fit couldn’t stop the excitement from seeping out of him. “Thi-his is ama-ha-zing!”

Elsa couldn’t help but let a giggle escape her as she watched her brother eagerly clap his hands in sleeves that were just a bit too long for him. Selfishly it did feel good to know that as sour as the day had gone she was still able to do one small thing to bring her brother happiness. She sat on the edge of his bed and pulled the sleeves up just a little. “How’s that?”

He nodded and gave his sister the biggest smile. “Si-hing for me?”

“I don’t know…” Elsa shook her head.

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?” he somehow managed to ask in one breath.

How could she say no to that face? 

“Alright, alright. Mama’s lullaby or Hex Girls?”

“He-ex Girls. Ca-hause you couldn’t sing tonight,” he coughed.

“I don’t mind,” she shook her head.

“But I wanna hear,” Olaf pouted.

“It won’t be as edgy. I want you to try to get some more sleep today,” she replied.

“That’s ok,” he agreed.

“Scoot under the blankets then,” she encouraged. She watched as he wiggled deep under the comforter and pulled the edge just under his chin before grabbing a snowman plushie to cuddle with. Elsa gently ran her fingers over his hair once more, allowing a soft and slow melody to escape her lips. It sounded absolutely nothing like the actual song, but she decided that when everyone would get together at a later date she could make it up to him.

_I’m gonna cast a spell on you_

_You’re gonna do what I want you to_

She twirled a finger lightly in front of his face, as if she were trying to hypnotize him into falling back to sleep.

_Mix it up here in my little bowl_

_Say a few words and you lose control_

_I’m a Hex Girl_

_And I’m gonna put a spell on you_

She playfully booped his nose, a giggle and another faint cough escaping him in response.

_I’m a Hex Girl_

_And I’m gonna put a spell on you_

She dragged out the last note as Olaf’s eyes drooped down. The faintest smile crossed her lips watching her brother finally get some peaceful sleep. She brushed his cheek with her fingertip before quietly navigating her way out of his room. Elsa returned to the living room and glanced at her phone. She couldn’t prevent her smile from turning into a frown at the realization Maren still hadn’t texted her.

What was going on?

As much as Elsa attempted to distract herself, nothing seemed to suffice. The sun was beginning to set by that point and there was still no text from Maren. Or Anna or Kristoff, for that matter. Elsa couldn’t help but acknowledge the nagging feeling that something was wrong. It should have made her feel better than she hadn’t heard from Anna or Kristoff since earlier that day. However knowing that Anna was likely intending some big surprise, it did little to put Elsa at ease regarding Maren. Had the woman finally decided she had enough of Elsa? Was today somehow finally too much for her? Did she end up making other plans?

Elsa stared at her phone, debating if she should text her girlfriend. It was so tempting. She just wanted something. Anything.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

So many thoughts circulated through her head. Maren could read Elsa texting her as she didn’t trust her somehow. Elsa also tried so hard not to overly involve Maren. The last thing she wanted to do was to be a bother; how would it look if out of the blue she texted her girlfriend asking for help? What if Maren already made other plans? Or what if she was busy with her own brother? How could Elsa ask Maren to pull herself away from Ryder just because she was worried about Olaf? That wasn’t fair, either.

Sighing, Elsa sat her phone down and went to check on Olaf. He was just waking up. Elsa led him into the kitchen, where she began preparing a small sandwich for him. She waited a few minutes before checking his temperature. The fever seemed to stay down, which hopefully it would remain for the night. But he still had the lingering cough. Since his next dose now would not be until bedtime, one of the Lolleez was going to have to suffice. As he sat at the table sucking on it, Elsa attempted to prepare a small meal for herself. Suddenly, there was a clank coming from the backyard. She stopped what she was doing and raised an eyebrow.

“What was that?”

Olaf removed the lollipop from his mouth. “I-is the racoo-hoon family back?”

“I don’t think so,” Elsa shook her head. 

Actually, she didn’t even have the heart to tell them the raccoon family didn’t even exist. It had only been a story she made up to explain any scary sounds in the middle of the night. It made Olaf feel better to believe there was a family of animals searching for a late night snack instead of possible monsters.

Perhaps it was nothing. The wind must have blown a trashcan down or something. Shaking it off, Elsa returned to her dinner. However some loud whispering followed. That was something she could not ignore. Elsa paused, freezing in her steps. Who was in their backyard…?

Then she realized one of the voices sounded familiar. “Anna…?” she asked quietly.

Olaf gasped. “Anna’s here?” Jumping out of his chair and completely disregarding his lollipop, Olaf dashed to the back door.

“Olaf, wait!” Elsa gasped, chasing after him. “You really should stay inside!”

But the child had already made his way out the back door. He stopped in his tracks, gazing around the yard. Elsa followed suit. She was about to speak to him when she realized exactly what was going on.

Their usual Halloween decorations were still up. Across the clothesline were the cardboard bats. A few ornaments hung from a couple of the tree branches. The fence across the far back was lined with pumpkin stickers. There was even a blow-up glow-in-the-dark Snoopy at Olaf’s request.

It was either Snoopy or one of the Minions. There had been no competition.

As Elsa’s eyes continued to scan the confines of her yard she noticed that the table had been moved. The one where they would usually sit at for summer barbecues or warm nights out was not in its usual location. Instead it had been moved a bit more to the right. Underneath was...a speaker? Then her eyes moved up. To one side of the table was Kristoff with a guitar - correction - one of Olaf’s toy guitars. On the other side was Anna with...was that a bongo…? And finally, standing on top of the table was Maren with a karaoke microphone. And all three of them donned their Halloween costumes. Kristoff as Shaggy and Anna and Maren as Dusk and Luna respectively. Elsa blinked, shocked at the sight before her.

“Wha…. What is…?”

“Hehehe…” Anna giggled nervously. She waved her hand, navy blue nail polish popping hard against her usual vibrant disposition. “Surprise…?”

“Way to be in character, _Dusk_ ,” Maren commented sarcastically.

“Hey I didn’t realize we’d be getting an early start, ok?” Anna responded.

Elsa shook her head. “What’s going on…?”

“Something ama-ha-zing,” Olaf coughed in awe.

“Heh. Well we’re totally busted,” Kristoff chuckled. “Told you not to jump on the table, Maren.”

“You knocked the garbage can to move it,” Maren pointed out.

“Yeah but if Anna had helped….”

“Do you know how hard it is to get these blonde extensions in without a mirror?”

“You couldn’t do that before we left?”

“No, and anyway you had to try to be all cool to impress Elsa.”

“She’s got you there.”

“I...I did not…!”

“Ok fine, I guess I’ll do the talking.”

“Not if you’re gonna make me sound like that!”

“Ok, then _I’ll_ talk.”

Kristoff set the toy guitar down and took a step forward. “We all felt bad that we couldn’t go out for Halloween, so Feistypants and your girlfriend decided to bring Halloween to you. We put this stunt together for you guys.”

Olaf squealed in delight. “For my bir-hirth-day??”

“Exactly for your birthday,” Kristoff nodded with a smile.

“You did not have to go through all this trouble,” Elsa shook her head.

“Uh, yeah we did. You weren’t gonna let us if we told you,” Anna said as-a-matter-of-factly. “But if you could help me get this choker on that would be amazing.”

Rolling her eyes, Elsa stepped over to her sister. She stood behind Anna and clicked the black choker around her neck before smoothing out the navy blue dress and taking a step back. She paused and blinked. “Wow you are the most unconvincing Dusk I’ve ever seen,” she teased.

“Says the woman cosplaying as her first wife,” Anna playfully bumped Elsa’s hip.

“So what do you say?” Maren asked, moving so she sat at the edge of the table. “I mean, I know I’m not much of a Thorn or have the voice you do but...will you let us sing for you?”

Elsa shook her head at her girlfriend in disbelief. “Is this why you haven’t texted all day?”

Maren offered her a crooked smile and shrugged her shoulders. “Well, yeah. Couldn’t have you finding out what we were up to.”

Elsa couldn’t prevent her heart from racing at that moment. It hadn’t just been Anna’s plan. Maren was in on it all along. It was all for Olaf. If Elsa sounded so downhearted breaking the news of canceling Halloween, of course Olaf would be more distraught. Not only did Anna go above and beyond for her brother, but Maren also willingly involved herself. She had absolutely no obligation to yet...it seemed there had been no doubt in the woman’s mind. Of course there had been a reason Maren was so quiet all day! Oh, she was such an idiot to think otherwise!

Olaf jumped up and down eagerly. “Do h-it! Do h-it! Do h-it!” he shouted in between coughs.

“Olaf, take it easy,” Elsa shook her head at her brother. She walked back to him and took a stance behind him. She wrapped her arms around his front, feeling as if the excitement were trying to escape him and seep into her.

“YES! Let’s do this!” Anna cheered. She leaned forward to turn on the speaker, which prompted the music to start. Anna and Kristoff pretended to play their instruments. Thank god they were only pretending; musicians, those two were not. The real music rang from the speakers, save for Maren’s crystal clear voice singing over it. For a few lines Anna and Kristoff either joined in with Maren or sang backup for her.

_Earth, wind, fire, and air_

_We may look bad_

_But we don’t care_

_We ride the wind_

_We feel the fire_

_To love the earth is our one desire_

_(To love the earth is our one desire)_

The three of them sounded almost questionable together, as if they so obviously didn’t rehearse. But it didn’t matter in the least. Olaf was bouncing off his feet, completely enamored by the surprise concert and enjoying every second of it. Nor could Elsa do anything except smile wide at seeing the length her family went to in order to keep the day special. It was mind blowing the effort they put in for something that would last a mere few minutes. But Olaf’s reaction proved to be more than worth it. 

_Love the earth_

_It’s only fair_

_It’s one big earth_

_That we must share_

_We love the earth_

_With all of our fire_

_It’s in our souls_

_Our one desire_

Elsa had no idea what the hell Maren was talking about when she said her voice didn’t compare to Elsa’s. Maren had this natural...Elsa wouldn’t go so far as to describe it as husky, but it was definitely deeper compared to Elsa’s. Yet somehow when she opened her mouth to sing, she was able to hit higher notes without even thinking about it. For someone who claimed she didn’t sing yet had absolutely no problem jumping into the lyrics in the middle of a movie, Maren was pretty incredible. In fact, in the blonde’s opinion, Maren’s vocals were flawless.

Not that she was saying that because she couldn’t keep her eyes off of her girlfriend at all.

_Earth, wind, fire, and air_

_We may look bad_

_But we don’t care_

_We ride the wind_

_We feel the fire_

_To love the earth is our one desire_

_(To love the earth is our one desire)_

At one point Elsa could have sworn she saw Maren kneel down and sing directly to her.

Surely it must have been to Olaf because it was his birthday, but was there really any harm in dreaming?

And it certainly was not at all because she was getting flashbacks to her childhood crush. Elsa had liked to naively imagine that when Thorn sang in The Witch’s Ghost, she was staring through the television right at Elsa. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined something remotely similar to that becoming a reality. Nor would she have imagined it being either of the other Hex Girls. It was quite possible that Elsa was going to have to change her fictional crush after this.

_Nature is a precious gift_

_It will make your spirits lift_

_Love the earth with all of your fire_

_It’s in your soul_

_Your one desire_

Oh, there was a desire, all right! One Anna would surely never let Elsa live down.

_Earth, wind, fire, and air_

_We may look bad_

_But we don’t care_

_We ride the wind_

_We feel the fire_

_To love the earth is our one desire_

_To love the earth is our one desire_

And naturally, Kristoff gave his all to that one final guitar solo, getting down on his knees and arching his back like he was some wannabe 80’s rock legend. Elsa couldn’t help but cover her mouth in an attempt to hold back laughter. Maren and Anna must have realized it as well, because their laughs quickly overpowered Elsa’s even as the music faded.

Kristoff slowly opened his eyes and his naw-naw-naw sound effects slowly ended. He cautiously pulled his arm away from the kiddie guitar before rising to his feet. He pursed his lips, eyes darted back and forth, and there was certainly a blush covering his cheeks.

“Sorry...was that too much?”

“That. Was. AMAZING!!!” Olaf screamed.

No one dared to correct him or tell him to lower his voice in fear he would lose it after the outburst. Even though he let out cough after cough as he darted to Kristoff, there was nothing but pure delight in Olaf’s eyes and smile. The blond didn’t hesitate as he lifted his pseudo-brother off the ground, even while the boy was in the middle of a coughing fit.

“H-h-ey,” Olaf realized, “i-hif you’re gonna be a Hex Girl, may-haybe you should wear a dress ne-hext time.”

Kristoff blinked. “Ooooooh, I don’t know about that, buddy. Dresses make my hips look so much bigger. I don’t think I have the figure for that.”

“Ca-han you be Dusk next time?” Olaf asked. “You look goo-hood in blue.”

“Aw, thanks buddy,” Kristoff grinned cheekily.

Anna rolled her eyes lightly. She set her bongo down and approached Elsa. “You know, I probably should be mad he wants to replace me, but I just can’t get mad at him on his birthday.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to tease you about that,” Elsa giggled. “Even though you absolutely deserved it.”

“Pffft. Whatever,” Anna scoffed.

Elsa offered her sister a shy smile. “Did you really go to all this trouble for us?”

“Of course we did,” Anna said, taking her hands. “There was no way in hell we were gonna miss Olaf’s birthday. And technically, you said we couldn’t come into the house. You never said anything about being outside of the house.”

Elsa smirked. “You really should have gone to law school.” She paused. “But thank you for this.”

“Every time. For Olaf and for you, too,” Anna promised. She engulfed her sister in a tight bear hug before releasing her and running over to join Kristoff and Olaf.

Elsa shook her head. She reluctantly turned her attention to Maren, knowing full well that as soon as she laid eyes on her once again a blush was going to return to her cheeks. Elsa involuntarily went to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear even though all she could grab was a section of her wig. Shit that felt so weird!

“So…. Whose brilliant idea was this anyway?” she asked, attempting to hide her nerves.

“Well, Anna and I kinda came up with it together,” Maren admitted. “Kristoff was dragged into it. I know it’s not the same at all and it would’ve been way more killer with you singing, but we wanted to do it for you. I mean...for Olaf. Well...yeah, it was for Olaf. It’s his birthday; of course it was for him. But it was for you, too. Because...well, you’re you and.... You, you do a lot so…. Yeah.”

Maren sucked in her lip and placed her hands behind her back, trying so hard not to look equally as nervous as Elsa felt inside. Still, the blonde couldn’t help but giggle faintly at Maren’s slight blabbing. For someone who typically walked around with so much confidence, Maren looked equally as endearing when she was uncharacteristically timid.

Even so, Elsa couldn’t seem to find any words to express how she was feeling except for the quite obvious, “Thank you.”

Maren gave her a cocked yet hopeful smile. “So…. What’d you really think?”

“I think I love you,” Elsa answered without actually thinking.

Suddenly her eyes widened.

Oh shit did she really just say that?

Her face heated.

“IT!” she blurted. “It. I...I loved _it_. It, the song. The…the song…. Obviously. Not that I…I don’t…. I mean I _do_ …. It’s, it’s…. You’re you and I love that…. I, I mean you…. I mean it…. Wait, what?”

She averted her gaze and pulled in her lips, unable to look Maren directly in the eyes. Oh god, she really blew that one up. She knew exactly what she wanted to say. She knew what she was going to say. It just…. The wrong word came out…. Oh, who was she kidding? Multiple wrong things came out! Multiple wrong things that she absolutely should not have said yet. It was too soon, wasn’t it? Or was it not? She wasn’t even sure. She just knew…. She knew that with everything Maren put up with for Elsa; all she had to compromise for Elsa’s sake; how sporadic their relationship must have felt all because of Elsa’s countless obligations; there were so many times Maren had the option to decide that it was too much. She could have decided Elsa dedicated too much time to her work and left. She could have decided it was too much pressure to date someone who constantly had eyes on them and left. She could have decided that taking care of a child was too much and left. She could have decided that Elsa, all of Elsa, her whole life, was too much. Maren could have decided to walk out at any time. Yet she stayed.

How could Elsa not have fallen for someone like Maren?

She might as well have had no chance.

If only she could have paid more attention to the wide smile that crossed Maren’s face and the twinkle in her eye.

Suddenly, Maren gently placed her fingertips under Elsa’s chin and turned her head to face her all the way. Then, without missing a beat, Maren leaned in and crashed her lips against Elsa’s. There was barely any hesitation before Elsa returned the action, wrapping her arms around Maren’s neck. She felt Maren’s free hand creep around her back and gently tug at the edge of the wig, pulling it off and letting the loose bun Elsa had tucked under fall out of place completely. Elsa pulled her lips away briefly for a breath before kissing Maren once again and then moving her hands up to remove Maren’s wig. The red wig flew off and cascading down over Elsa’s hands and onto Maren’s shoulders were those thick, long, brunette locks that the blonde enjoyed toying with so much. She could have sworn she felt Maren chuckle against her lips, though whether it was at Elsa’s eagerness or feeling her already play with Maren’s hair, Elsa could not say for sure. There was the faintest nagging behind her, almost as if someone was calling to her. But Elsa chose to block it out, instead focusing on the woman in front of her who she loved.

And who, unlike Elsa who was the occasional anxious mess that she was, needed much fewer words to convey those exact same feelings.

“Ooooo Elsa’s ditching Thorn for Luna!” Anna teased.

Groaning, Elsa reluctantly pulled back and moved her head down so her forehead was resting on Maren’s shoulder. Oh god, Elsa was going to have to live with that joke forever!

Thank god Maren knew exactly what to say to her. The brunette chuckled faintly and tilted her head just enough to whisper to her girlfriend, “I’ll be Thorn next time."

**Author's Note:**

> So i haven't been feeling well this past weekend and i'm still a bit off - which also means i hope my few Elsamaren Week oneshots are a decent substitute for my usual updates - so i'll keep my author note short. I read the prompt, i saw an opportunity, i took it, i reread the prompt, and i didn't bother to fix it at all lol. My mind just automatically went to the Hex Girls and i knew i had to do something with them. Sooooo sorry not sorry? Because, come on, it's the FRICKING HEX GIRLS!  
> Sidenote i was surprised at how much i enjoyed writing Elsa with little brother Olaf. May or may not wanna try exploring something with that eventually. Also didn't specify his age here because lazy.  
> Make sure you check out everyone else's submissions for the week, too. They are amazing and some awesome distractions! Happy Elsamaren week everyone! :)


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